To not understand the snobbery around skiing?

[Cappuccinowithonesugarplease]

An actual conversation I overheard:

"Virtually anyone can afford to go skiing these days"

Do people really still think like this in 2024? It just seems so classist....

It is a class thing because it's expensive. But I'd equate skiing with golf rather than a very posh activity. My colleague tried to spark up a conversation with me about black runs in some resort he did as a teenager. I had to point out that I just wasn't from the same background as him and the chances of me going skiing as a child were as much as him going to the rough skate park in our town. He hadn't considered someone 'poor' could have worked themselves into our job. You could see the shock in his face 😛

See I didn't think it was much more expensive than say an all inclusive somewhere. One of the years in my sons school all got to go skiing, pretty much all of them went, and it's a normal state school. 🤔

Mumsnet is full of that type of snobbery

My son (also at an average state school) went on a ski trip with school. We saved up because he really wanted to go, but we only really let him go because we knew he’d NEVER get to go skiing on a family holiday - mainly beside of the expense, but also because I’d rather just set fire to my money.

Skiing is still a very expensive hobby/holiday.

But going to an AI abroad is already pretty expensive. I'm in my 30s and hadn't left the UK until I was 21, so no way could I have learnt to ski. My family weren't even poor, just from a region where a lot of people didn't have money to go on holiday at all so a week in Cornwall already felt like a luxury

Well your mistake is thinking everyone can afford an all inclusive holiday abroad too!

The thing about ski-ing is that it's rarely the main or only annual holiday.

They must be using credit cards because a few of my friends are definitely not well off but still manage to afford extravagant holidays at least 3 times a year.
Maybe it's more of a upper middle class mindset to go skiing, because it's not something the riff raff would want to do 🤔

See I didn't think it was much more expensive than say an all inclusive somewhere

A week in the alps for a family of four in Feb half term is going to set you back ten grand and change. Plus you need money for clothing & food when there. Its pretty inaccessible unless you have a high income and to become competent you need to have gone a few times, not just a one off holiday that year mum got a windfall win on the pools.

The thing with skiing is that it's a signal of multiple generational wealth

Almost no one takes up skiing as an adult - I said "almost" not none to be clear for the pedants - because as an adult, it's a lot of money to spend on a holiday that you might not like and where there are few other options if you don't like it

So it's a signal that you are from a wealthy family because you went skiing as a child and so did your parents etc etc

We manage a few short breaks away a year. But then we don't use credit. Would hate to get a few grand in debt just to go to a 5* hotel!

It's a sport. Learning to ski isn't expensive, going skiing though is. When my kids were young we lived near a dry ski slope. Every school holidays the slope ran day camps, so for £40 a day for the two of them they got a couple of ski lessons plus a hot lunch and activities. They can both ski pretty well. Scout and schools run ski trips, at a cost of about £1,500.

My family couldn't afford all inclusive. We spent our half terms at home or a real treat would be to go and sit in a leaky tent in a UK campsite.

Iamiconds this is very true

Exactly this. Around here several families ski in Feb, main holiday in July and then cornwall or the lakes in Oct. We have one holiday and I want that to have sun and a pool. I have never wanted to ski. It is a class mark question though. 'Do you ski?', means 'Are you in my tribe?', no I am definitely not!

It's very expensive. I snowboard and have looked at taking my son a few times, but during the school holidays, it's incredibly expensive. I just can't justify the cost.

10 grand 😳

I'm sure you can go to eastern europe skiing for much less than that. I guess the alps must be the cream of the crop so to speak

Scout and schools run ski trips, at a cost of about £1,500.

Even £1,500 is a huge amount for most to afford.

Our skiing holiday costs no where near £10k. Nearer 3k!

DH caught the bug when he's normal Yorkshire secondary school used to take them. It continued in the Army.

I think it’s difficult to get into as an adult if you never went as a child. Do they even do lessons for adults? My DC went with school and I made sure I saved up for them to go because it was much cheaper than taking them myself. I’ve never been because it would blow my entire holiday budget for the year and I’m afraid of the ski lifts. I would actually love to try it, apart from the ski lifts!

I think some families take it for granted that skiing is something you do. In our family we had my grandma who went skiing once in the 1950s, broke her leg after literally 15 minutes on the slopes and spent the rest of her life warning people against the dangers of it!

I think how you've interpreted the original comment somewhat, I don't think it's really about £££.

Skiing used to be socially exclusive as well as pretty expensive. Now it is relatively cheap compared to 30, 40 years ago. It is also less socially exclusive than it used to be - more people go.

All inclusive holidays have always been a bit pricey, but they've never been socially exclusive.

10 grand 😳
I'm sure you can go to eastern europe skiing for much less than that.

Even eastern europe, including flights, accommodation, ski hire, passes and lessons, you are probably going to spend £6-7k for a family of four.

People are on the bones of their arses due to the cost of housing in the uk, they simply don't have this kind of money.

Its in the same vein as people who tell themselves most people could afford private school if they only made "sacrifices". Its totally out of reach for most.

1500 is my entire budget for my family summer holiday. I couldn't imagine paying that for one child to go on a ski trip!!

Ski holidays, all inclusive holidays, they are luxuries that well off people can afford. To me, they are very expensive and completely unobtainable. For others, they are standard twice-a-year activities. Rich folk / poor folk innit 🤷‍♀️

Our skiing holiday costs no where near £10k. Nearer 3k!

Where? Is that including all costs (food, lessons, ski hire) and is it in school holidays & for a family of 4?